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You may take it for granted, but your immune system does battle with potentially harmful bacteria and viruses 24/7. Here are some simple strategies to give it a fighting chance.
Defensive Eating
You’ve heard the old wives’ tale: Feed a cold, starve a fever. Or is it the other way around? Actually, it’s neither. Certain foods and nutrients can help you head off colds and flu and recover faster when you do get sick.
Protein-packed foods. Protein provides the raw materials to make the cells that fight off germs that may make you sick. Aim for about six ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or seafood in your daily eating plan (in addition to three servings of dairy foods, which are also rich in protein), or the equivalent, such as eggs, beans, and soy products. Include protein-packed choices at meals and snacks.
Multivitamins. Your immune system requires an array of nutrients to work properly. Nobody eats a balanced diet every day, and sometimes you may have gaps in your eating plan that affect immune health. Taking a daily multivitamin that provides a wide variety of vitamins and minerals helps you to meet your daily requirements for nutrients that support immune health, including vitamin C. For example, people who do not eat the suggested five servings of fruits and vegetables combined daily may not satisfy the recommended daily intake for vitamin C, and may benefit from a modest dietary supplement. This is especially true for cigarette smokers, who have higher vitamin C requirements.
Milk and other vitamin D-rich foods. Vitamin D may play an important role in immune health, as several types of immune cells have vitamin D receptors. Vitamin D may also stimulate the production of immune cells and other components of the immune system, helping to guard against infection. Vitamin D is found naturally in few foods, including eggs, tuna, and salmon, but is added to milk and some yogurts. The suggested daily intake for vitamin D is 600 International Units, which is the equivalent of six, eight-ounce glasses of milk, four ounces of cooked sockeye salmon or about 14 eggs. Dietary supplements can help you meet your daily vitamin D needs. (Source: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/)
Beyond Food
A balanced diet goes a long way to strengthening the immune system, but other lifestyle habits count, too.
Work it out. Regular, moderate exercise may help to bolster your defenses against colds and flu. Physical activity is also helpful for managing the stress that may disturb your sleep and run down your immune system, making you more susceptible to germs.
(Source: https://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/2613/can-exercise-reduce-your-risk-of-catching-a/)
Get your ZZZ’s. Rest and relaxation supports the immune system. People need different amounts of sleep, but most adults need between seven and eight hours nightly.
Snuff the butts. Smokers may be more prone to catching colds. Once they are sick, smokers may have a harder time healing.
Wash your hands. Lather up with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating or preparing food. Frequent hand washing helps prevent the spread of germs.
Take a shot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone six months of age and older needs the flu (Source: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm#high-risk) vaccine. It’s especially important for some people to get vaccinated, including pregnant women, those over age 65, and people with medical conditions including asthma, diabetes, and chronic lung disease.
Additional sources:
Arcavi L and Benowitz N. Cigarette Smoking and Infection. Arch Intern Med 2004;164:2206-2216. http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/164/20/2206
National Sleep Foundation. How Much Sleep Do Adults Need? http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/white-papers/how-much-sleep-do-adults-need
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hand Washing: Clean Hands Saves Lives http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/

In a perfect world, we would follow the suggested dietary guidelines every day, get enough physical activity and make sure each night is filled with the proper amount of restful sleep. However, our busy schedules can make it difficult to get what is needed for a healthy lifestyle, including the vitamins and minerals that support your health. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that many adults don’t get enough of six essential nutrients – vitamins A, C, D, and E, and the minerals calcium and magnesium. A more balanced eating plan, paired with a complete multivitamin, is a great strategy for increasing your intake of a variety of these vitamins and minerals. Here are some ways to help achieve a better balanced diet that can fit into your daily routines.
Include at least five servings of fruits and vegetables dailyWhen life gets busy and you’re on the run, it’s not always easy to consume the five servings of fruits and vegetables most adults need every day. Eating produce goes a long way to satisfying the suggested intakes for several vitamin and minerals, including vitamins A, C, and E. The great news is that some of your favorite fruits and vegetables may be more nutritious than you think. For example, mushrooms are the only item in the produce aisle with vitamin D, and mushrooms that have been exposed to UVB rays (the same rays that come from sunshine) have even more of this vital nutrient. Some produce, including dark green leafy vegetables, provide magnesium and calcium. Have a serving of fruits or vegetables (or both!) at every meal, and consider them for snacks, too. Fruit smoothies made with calcium filled milk or Greek yogurt are a delicious and nutritious alternative to high calorie desserts and snacks.
Eat at least two seafood meals a weekAnd you thought seafood was just for heart health! Seafood is a source of vitamin D, calcium (if you eat the bones of small fish, like sardines), and vitamin A – three of the six essential nutrients people often don’t get enough of from food alone. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating at least two meals containing fish weekly not only for the heart-healthy fat that fish provides, but for several other nutrients, including the vitamins and minerals that support overall health. Meals with fish don’t need to be elaborate or fussy to be beneficial. You can reap the benefits from a tuna salad sandwich made with reduced-fat mayonnaise. Top a hearty green salad with cooked canned salmon, too.
If you have fish or seafood allergies, you can get vitamin D from fortified foods such as milk, orange juice, and yogurt - foods that also contain calcium. Sweet potatoes, carrots, and dark green leafy vegetables supply vitamin A.
Don’t shy away from certain fatty foodsThere’s no need to deprive yourself of healthy fats in the name of good health. You may think that you should avoid foods such as almonds, peanut butter, avocados, and sunflower oil, but they are all excellent or good sources of vitamin E. Surprisingly, small portions, such as an ounce of nuts or seeds, provide a substantial amount of the vitamin E you need daily. Snack on nuts instead of pretzels, chips, and cookies to include more vitamin E. Cook with modest amounts of olive and sunflower oil instead of butter.
Slim down safelyUnfortunately, cutting back on food often means eating less of an array of foods that contain important vitamins and minerals. Eliminating entire food groups, such as grains or dairy, in the name of weight control, or for any other reason, makes inadequate vitamin and mineral intake even more likely. Instead of drastic reductions, choose a reasonable calorie level and a balanced diet for gradual weight loss.
Avoid cigarettesIf you’re trying to quit, keep it up! Cigarette smoking depletes the levels of vitamin C in your bloodstream. According to the Institute of Medicine, smokers have a higher daily requirement for vitamin C. When you quit, your sense of smell and taste improves. Food will start to taste better, and chances are your diet will improve, helping you to meet your vitamin and mineral needs. Include a glass of orange juice, oranges, kiwi, or strawberries to meet your daily vitamin C needs, whether you’re a smoker or not. Surprisingly, red and green bell pepper also provide vitamin C, and are delicious raw on salads or cooked in a stir-fry.
Day to day, it may be difficult to satisfy your entire daily vitamin and mineral needs from food alone. The good news is that even when your diet comes up short, you can fill the gaps with a complete multivitamin that supplies an array of nutrients and helps support your overall health.
Find out which Centrum multivitamin is right for you by using our Find Your Centrum tool.

Research suggests many of us come up short for six important nutrients—vitamins A, C, D, and E, calcium and magnesium—in our diets. Along with a balanced eating plan, a complete multivitamin helps to fulfill vitamin and mineral needs. Here’s why you should make these six, and others, part of your healthy lifestyle.
Vitamin DVitamin D plays a role in helping the body to absorb and use calcium to support bone health, and for other functions. It also plays a role in cell function, as well as your nervous and immune systems.
Your body makes vitamin D, starting when skin is exposed to strong Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from the sun. However, it’s virtually impossible for many people to make enough vitamin D for a variety of reasons, ranging from necessary sun exposure and overall aging.
Over 90% of us don’t get enough vitamin D from food alone. That’s really no surprise when you consider how difficult it is to get adequate vitamin D from food. Choices such as salmon, tuna, and milk supply vitamin D, but few people consume enough of these foods on a regular basis, or would need to consume large quantities to meet their vitamin D needs. For example, it takes six 8oz glasses of vitamin D-added milk to satisfy most adults’ daily requirement. It’s more reasonable to get the vitamin D you need with a combination of food and a complete dietary supplement that includes vitamin D.
CalciumCalcium supports skeletal strength by serving as the major structural component of bones, yet over 40% of adults in the U.S. fall short on their calcium intake. While nearly all of the body’s calcium resides in bones, the small amount found in the bloodstream and in soft tissues is extremely important because it helps to maintain normal heart rhythm, normal muscle contraction, and efficient communication among nerve cells. If there isn’t enough calcium available, the body borrows calcium from bones to maintain levels in the blood and soft tissues. Consuming adequate calcium every day helps maintain bone calcium levels and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a disorder characterized fragile bones that are prone to fracture. Yogurt, milk, cheese, and fortified soy milk or orange juice are excellent calcium sources.
As you age, your body absorbs calcium less efficiently and you need more of the mineral from food, supplements, or both. Women under the age of 50, and men ages 19 to 70, need three dairy servings (or 1000mg) to satisfy calcium needs. Women over age 50 and men over age 70 need four servings daily (or 1200mg).
MagnesiumMagnesium doesn’t generate much buzz, but it’s a nutrient workhorse. Your body relies on magnesium for more than 300 reactions that include supporting the body to make proteins, produce energy, metabolize carbohydrates, maintain normal nerve cell communication, support muscle contraction, and support a regular heart rhythm. Like calcium, magnesium contributes to bone strength; about 50% of the magnesium in your body is in bone tissue. Some scientific evidence suggests that magnesium deficiency may be a risk factor for osteoporosis after menopause. More than half of Americans (52%) don’t get the magnesium we need, probably because we don’t eat adequate amounts of plant foods such as spinach, black beans, and avocado.
Vitamin AVitamin A is found in everyday foods such as fortified milk and cereal, eggs, salmon, and tuna, yet over 40% of Americans don’t get enough of it on a regular basis. Vitamin A supports eye health by accumulating in the retina, which is responsible for transmitting images to the brain, and helping to make it possible to see in low light. Vitamin A is also supports immune function, as it maintains the integrity of skin, and the linings of the digestive system, urinary tract, and lungs, to help prevent germs from entering your body. In addition, vitamin A plays a role in developing and activating white blood cells, which help prevent or destroy harmful bacteria and viruses, and is necessary for reproduction.
Vitamin CHere’s a little known fact about Vitamin C: it helps support the formation of collagen , a structural component of blood vessels, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bone, and skin. Vitamin C’s more well-known function is its role in immunity support – its antioxidant abilities play a role in the protection of white blood cells from damage, and vitamin C may also stimulate the production and function of white blood cells.
Vitamin EAlmost 90% of Americans fall short of vitamin E – your “cellular bodyguard”. It functions primarily as an antioxidant to protect cells from damage due to normal daily metabolism and from exposure to pollution, UVB rays, and cigarette smoke. Vitamin E supports heart and brain health as well as immune function. Top vitamin E sources include wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds, almonds, sunflower oil, and hazelnuts.
Now you know how vitamins A, C, D, and E, calcium, and magnesium support health, and how often most of us come up short for these 6 important vitamins and minerals. You’re making efforts to live healthy, and there’s always room for improvement! In addition to a balanced diet, a complete multivitamin helps you fill in gaps for these vital nutrients, along with many others, and helps you feel your best.
Find out why Centrum is right for you.

Vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining strong bones and supporting a healthy immune system, yet a surprisingly large portion of Americans have insufficient levels. In fact, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of the CDC showed that 94% of Americans don’t get enough Vitamin D from food alone. The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults consume 600 IU of vitamin D daily and raise their recommendation to 800 IU for those over 70. It’s important to note that while the minimum recommended levels of vitamin D are under 1,000 IU per day, the upper safety limit is much higher at 4,000 IU. If you happen to be one of the millions of Americans who are lacking vitamin D, there are several ways to bolster your intake.
Soak Up Some Sun
Sun exposure stimulates the production of vitamin D, the only vitamin naturally produced by our bodies. Unfortunately, during the winter months or for those working indoors, it can be difficult to get adequate levels of vitamin D through this method alone. Even during the summer months, sunscreen may block the UVB rays necessary to begin vitamin D production in the skin.
Plan Your Diet
Some foods like fish, eggs, and fortified milk and juices are great sources of vitamin D. If you are able to plan your diet appropriately, eating the right foods may provide the boost in vitamin D your body needs.
Take a Multivitamin
If you’re having a difficult time getting enough vitamin D through sun exposure and diet, taking a multivitamin with vitamin D is a great solution. Centrum® multivitamins are an excellent source of Vitamin D, plus they now have higher• levels of vitamin D3 – the body’s preferred form of vitamin D. Find the Centrum® that’s right for you.

‡Vitamins A, C, and E, and Lutein help support healthy eyes. This product is not intended to provide daily intake of Lutein. Take with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

¥B-Vitamins support daily energy needs.*

^Vitamins C and E support normal immune function.*

±B-vitamins aid in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.*

«Lutein and Zeaxanthin to help improve the eyes natural response to glare. Emerging science suggests nutrients such as Lutein and Zeaxanthin help support healthy/normal macular pigment which plays a role in the eye’s ability to respond after exposure to glare/adjustment to changes in light.*

∇Among leading eye multivitamin supplement brands.

^^Refers to Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Vitamins A, C, and E.

µBased on number of nutrients; Among leading Women / Men 50+ multivitamin brands.

»Among leading men’s and women’s gummy multivitamins.

>Biotin, Vitamins A, C, and E help maintain healthy appearance.*

<Vitamins D and B6 help support muscle function.*

♦A combination of Vitamin D and calcium helps maintain strong bones*

•B-Vitamins help support heart health, brain health, energy and metabolism. Vitamins A, C, E and zinc help support normal immune function and healthy eyes. Calcium and vitamin D help support bone health.* Adequate calcium and vitamin D are necessary for bone health. Centrum® MultiGummies® [Men/Adult] and Centrum® VitaMints® do not contain calcium. Take with a calcium-rich diet.

∞Includes 11 nutrients to support whole body health including B-vitamins to support heart health, zinc and B-vitamins to support normal brain function, and Vitamins A, C, and E to support healthy eyes.* Not a replacement for cholesterol-lowering drugs.